Thanks for keeping us up to date Jan. I think you have been doing a fantastic job trying to attract new business to the area. It is a shame though that some people doesn't take this as serious as some of us do. I have always heard the saying "there's no jobs around here anymore, they have all gone overseas". There is alot of truth to this but people need to understand that there are a ton of business's every year looking to expand or relocate and those companies are eyeing places just like Kennett and making a good first impression means everything in the world. Again, thanks Jan for doing a great job.

That is exactly right. The Delta area, of which Kennett is technically a part, markets itself almost like a third world country, particularly south of here where conditions mirror the third world in many ways (lack of medical facilities, high infant mortality rates, etc.).

The problem is that although costs of living are cheaper here and we have a large base of uneducated or semi-skilled labor, so does the rest of the world, and their labor is practically free compared to U.S. minimum wage.

We often fail to recognize that, while this area might not be the Silcon Valley of the South, we do have an educated populace. To suggest to potential developers that this community is nothing but a pool of cheap laborers keeps us at a disadvantage for attracting high-skill businesses.

One reason we should focus on higher level jobs is that logistically speaking, Kennett is not in optimal shape. We have no rail, river, or direct interstate access. This is a big deal for industries who need to transport bulk materials, but call centers and corporate headquarters do not have these heavy logistical requirements. Instead of investing in economic incentives for industrial development, our city, county, and state officials should be focused on improving fiber-optic infrastrucutre, assisting telecom companies higher capability-towers, and incentives for small businesses so that the area appears more attractive to potential developers of any type, not just industry or agriculture.

The big question remains, is this what the community wants?

Most likely, it is not. I'm not sure people are inherently in favor of dramatic change. I was watching a Romney clip in which he promised residents of Michigan that he could bring the auto-manufacturing jobs back to Detroit. Everyone cheered, but no one asked how he planned to do this. When it comes down to it, the prospect of change was more intimidating to those people than believing Romney's lie. In the same segment John McCain told the same crowd that most of those jobs aren't coming back. Dead silence.

I greatly admire the efforts of those in charge of this area's development. It is a thankless job and, very often, those in power do not rightly acknowledge the importance of these individuals.

That said, it is time for a paradigm shift in the way we pose ourselves to outsiders. The fact that a new industry has relocated to Kennett speaks greatly to our leadership's commitment, but it won't get any easier as time progresses.

If we want to continue to grow and prosper, we're going to have to rely on more than sweat. If we don't, sweat will be all we have left.